She finished nearly a full minute ahead of the silver and bronze finalists, Vos and Kopecky.
This is the first Olympic gold cycling medal since Connie Carpenter in 1984.
Taylor Knibb resigned her spot on the team which allowed Faulkner the space on the team.
She started cycling in 2017 after moving to NYC to work as a venture capitalist. She’s a Harvard graduate.
Vos and Henderson were part of a strong group near the final, which included Lotte Kopecky. With more than 10 kilometres to go, Vos and Vas broke away. They seemed to have a comfortable lead on the chasers, but on the final climb of Montmartre, Faulkner and Kopecky managed to bridge the gap.
With three kilometres to go, Kopecky and Faulkner joined Vos and Vas. Faulkner saw her chance and immediately attacked. The American took a big gap and did not see her victory threatened. In the sprint for second place, Vos narrowly won.
